We're not going to be giving any credit to readers this week because I got the same three emails several times over, only worded a little differently.  The one thing I am thankful for is that the "LeBron is better than Kobe" emails have died down a bit.  I'll get to the three questions in a second but the one non-NBA related topic thrown my way was that regarding the USC recruiting scandals.  So to my friend Gavin representing the Sooner state, I'll gladly address that topic shortly, as well as the Derrick Rose not taking his SAT's scandal as well.

Here's what's on your minds:

1)  Is the officiating that bad or is it being blown out of proportion?

Definitely the former.  It's that bad.  Bill Simmons has been giving a ton of print to it if you want the long version.  But here's the short version in case you glossed over the beginning of this paragraph:  IT'S THAT BAD.  It's tough to talk about the officiating without reiterating what everybody else has been saying but when you have some of the most exciting playoff games of the past decade occur in a three-week period and all anybody can talk about is officiating, something's gone awry. 

It's not just that the refs are missing calls, it's that there is no rhyme or reason as to how the games are being called.  There was a sequence in Game 5 of the Lakers game in which Kobe and Melo each traded drives to the bucket, got hammered, and no fouls were called.  That would normally be fine by me, except that the sequence followed another in which touch fouls were called on each team about thirty feet away from the basket.  If I can't figure out how to watch a basketball game, how are the players supposed to know how to play it, and how are the coaches supposed to know how to instruct their teams and make adjustments?  The answer is, there is no way.  There's no way to adjust to the horrid officiating.  The players' and coaches' only resort is to scream bloody murder, take the technicals and pay the fines. 

And that brings me to my final point about the officiating.  It's bad to the point that the NBA has created the artificial accrual system of flagrant fouls and technicals that nobody buys into.  So, not only is the NBA subverting the integrity of its officials, but it's doing so in a way that can't be taken seriously.  Witness the Dwight Howard/Kobe Bryant scenario.  In soccer, some of the best players in the world miss Champions League games or even World Cup games due to red cards or yellow card accruals.  With the NBA, do you think there is even a 1% chance that either Kobe Bryant or Dwight Howard misses an NBA Finals game if they make it there?  I say no.  Not a chance.  Dwight Howard's technical foul for taunting Anderson Varejao was ridiculous.  But, it wasn't a bad call given how the NBA has been officiating all season.  They've given that technical foul numerous times this year.  So you can't blame the ref for enforcing the NBA's "We want our players to be daintier than the girls in A League of Their Own" rules.  However, to nobody's surprise, the NBA rescinded the tech, the same way it did with Kobe earlier in the playoffs.  Now, if it's Dhantay Jones accruing techs or flagrant fouls, something tells me the NBA will be ok letting him be the fall guy.  The point is, it's all nonsense.  There's no need for it and everybody knows it except for the guys in charge.  I don't see the NBA changing it anytime soon because no individual team is being adversely affected more than another.  Lakers and Cavs fans are complaining as much as everybody else out there and with good reason.  David Stern doesn't care because ratings are fine.  Sponsors are happy with no incidents affecting their images.  And as the old saying goes, there's no such thing as bad publicity.  Just ask college football and the BCS. 

Long story short.  The officiating's horrible.  Get used to it.

2)  Who is/was the best team in the playoffs?

This is a complicated question because there are a lot of people claiming that the Nuggets and Magic are/were the best teams in the playoffs.  I think the Nuggets were officially eliminated both from the playoffs and from this conversation at home in Game 6, but the Magic are an interesting team in opposition to the Lakers.  I think the Magic over the Cavs is a safe bet despite the country's love affair with LeBron and his put your head down and get fouled game.  The Magic vs. the Lakers will be a lot more interesting than people are giving it credit for.  I think the most intriguing moment of the series will come 2 to 4 minutes in.  It could even come before tip-off if Phil decides to start Lamar over Bynum.  Provided he doesn't, who will have to adjust to the other's game first?  The Lakers start big, so Pau will likely guard Rashard Lewis and then either Lewis or Turkoglu will match up with Pau or Bynum on the other end.  Those are some serious match-up problems on the defensive ends.  The question will be, which team blinks first and is forced to play the other team's game?  I actually think that the Magic have the match-up advantage in that regard because Bynum is playing like a complete wuss and Lewis and Turkoglu are lighting it up.  Cleveland is losing this series because the Zydrunas/Varejao/Wallace triumverate is a waste.  Will Odom/Bynum/Pau fare better?  I would like to think so.  You know Kobe will get his, but the Lakers are at their best when the peripheral guys are getting theirs.  The Cavs are losing because the Magic are not doubling and therefore the perimeter guys are not getting the open looks they got during the regular season.  I think Denver made a tremendous error in judgment doubling Kobe.  If you let him get his and make the Lakers a one-facet team, they're not as tough as they are when the ball is moving and everybody is involved.  That enables Kobe to pick his spots rather than force the matter.  The Magic won't make that same ill-fated mistake.  They'll let Kobe get his like they're letting LeBron do and they'll make the rest of the guys win their one-on-one match-ups.  We'll get to find out how "elite" Pau is and whether Lamar can stay awake for 4 to 7 NBA Finals games.  I think that Pau will be able to dominate his match-up enough that either Howard will have to get into foul trouble guarding him or the Magic will have to let Ariza or the Lakers' PG's get open looks.  Pau will be the difference and the Lakers will win a close series, much closer than people think.

3)  Have the refs ruined the playoffs?

At first glance this appears to be the same question as Question #1, but it's not.  While the refs have been horrible and giving the home team + LeBron every single call, they haven't ruined the playoffs.  I went to Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals with my sister is who is a huge Lakers fan and I was reminded once again of why I love sports.  Not only was our entire section standing for the last quarter and a half of play, but the whole experience just diverted my attention from all of the negatives that currently cloud sports.  There was griping about officials but nothing more than the usual amount.  No, instead, it was a collection of people of every race, age, and gender jumping up and down for joy, high fiving, bickering and having a good ol' time throughout.  What would have to happen in everyday life for me to keep patting a 40ish-year old black man on the back, and by patting, I mean slapping, every three minutes or so, and for that slapping to be completely okay with him?  I have no idea, but it happened because he was down on Odom, so every time Odom scored or got a big rebound, I'd slap the guy in front of me on the back and scream some variation of, "Lamar!  That's our boy!"  The gentleman got me back on Sasha's 3-pointer at the end of the first half because I groaned every time Sasha touched the ball up until then.  The point is, sports are a uniting force.  Whether it's a group of people coming together to play, or coming together to watch, sports unite societies.  Of course there are some aberrations, but I wouldn't give up all of the joy that sports have given me over the years for anything.  So, back to the original question, have the refs ruined the playoffs?  Absolutely not.  I still love this game.